Under new COVID-19 social gathering restrictions effective today, gatherings of up to 50 will be permitted and live performances can resume with 50 percent attendance.
Photo courtesy of Jase the Bass / CC BY-SA.
After several months of silence, live performances are once again permitted in Hong Kong. According to a government gazette released on Tuesday, live performances will be allowed to resume in bars and other performance venues.
However, performers must wear masks unless “there is some form of partition or adequate distancing which could serve as an effective buffer”.
“It’s better than nothing!” says Chris B who runs ‘The Underground’, a live music organisation. They were originally due to have a 16th Anniversary performance in April, which was indefinitely cancelled until the recent announcement.
“It’s good that the Government has stopped penalising musicians when they have been health conscious all along. We all want to watch performances feeling safe and happy!
“Go support a local live music venue this weekend and every weekend!”
Aside from allowing performances to return, the newly loosened restrictions also allow for gatherings of up to 50 people. Indoor restrictions have also been doubled with up to 8 guests allowed at the same table at restaurants. Party rooms and karaoke parlours may now have up to 16 people in one room.
Theme parks have also reopened and the Hong Kong Book Fair, which saw over 1 million in attendance last year, will continue to go ahead in late July.
Restrictions on performance were originally set up after a string of over 100 cases emerged in March. Coined the ‘Bar and Band’ cluster, infections were first discovered among perfomers and staff at Lan Kwai Fong and Wanchai.
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